Certain applications require fastening a support assembly to a wall stud. The support assembly may be used for various purposes, such as to hold an electrical box or to secure and guide cables within a studded wall. Preferably the support assembly includes a wall stud bracket for fastening the support assembly to a wall stud. For example, some applications require using a support assembly which includes a two part telescoping strut for supporting an electrical box or similar device in a studded wall. Preferably, the support assembly includes a pair of wall stud brackets connected with the telescoping strut, one on each end of the strut, which are then each fastened to a wall stud. The strut includes two horizontally adjustable telescoping parts which are used to adjust the length of the strut to match the distance in between a pair of studs for proper mounting of the strut to the pair of studs. The strut includes a fastening mechanism, such as an outwardly opening V-shape horizontal groove, to facilitate positioning, alignment and fastening of the electrical boxes to the strut. The driving of a fastener from the box to the fastening mechanism, not only aligns and fastens the electrical box with the strut, but also secures the two horizontally adjustable telescoping parts of the strut together.
Unfortunately electrical boxes come in two separate depths which require different spacing or set back of the strut from the edges of the studs for each box depth size. Therefore, a customer or installer would require different types of struts for different box depths even though the only difference in the struts would be a difference in the pre-bent ends or flanges by means of which the strut parts are secured to the studs. Pre-bent flanges for one type of stud mounting make it difficult if not impossible to mount the strut in any other fashion. This problem has created shipping and inventory problems for customers which required field selection of the right strut for the right box, and for the right stud mounting application.
Additionally, when fastening the strut to a stud, an installer would typically need to hold the strut with one hand and a fastener, such as a screw or nail, and fastening device, such as a screw driver or hammer, with another hand. The installer would then have to insert the fastener into the wall stud bracket connected with the strut, while holding the strut in the correction location on the wall stud, otherwise the strut would fall to the floor. Often times the installer would lose his or her grip on the strut and the strut would move or fall, resulting in possible misalignment of the fastened strut with the stud and a possible increase in the time required installing the electrical box and fasten the strut to the stud.
Other applications also require fastening a support assembly to a wall stud, such as where the support assembly includes a structural member used to position or guide flexible conduit or cable within a wall. In this application, the support assembly may include a wall stud bracket which is connected with the structural member used guide and position the flexible conduit or cable at a predetermined distance from the face of a drywall member which is later fastened to a wall stud. Typically, these support assemblies are stamped sheets or strips of metal that are secured to a wall stud using a screw fastener. Unfortunately, these support assembly are also difficult to fasten to a wall stud since an installer would typically need to hold the support assembly with one hand and a fastener, such as a screw or nail, and fastening device, such as a screw driver or hammer, with another hand. The installer would then have to insert the fastener into the support assembly, or a wall stud bracket connected with the support assembly, while holding the support assembly in the correction location on the stud, otherwise the support assembly would fall to the floor. Additionally, some support assemblies have a difficult time engaging and holding certain types of conduit or cable, such as armored cable which is protected by a corrugated metal sheathing.
As a result, it would be desirable to have a support assembly which can be more easily fastened to a stud and which does not require that the wall stud bracket be held in positioned by an installer in order to fasten the support assembly to a wall stud. Additionally, it would also be desirable to have a support assembly with a strut having the box securing advantages of the noted prior art strut, which could quickly be field formed to accommodate various box depths, while at the same time could be readily mounted to any interior or exterior surface of a metal stud, or the exterior of a wood stud. Moreover, it would also be desirable to have a support assembly which can engage and hold a certain types of conduit or cable, such as armored cable which is protected by a corrugated metal sheathing.